ikemana'o - Mindreader
by Lunedd
Summary: Hot on the trail of Doris, Steve and Danny are captured in Nicaragua and implanted with nano-high-tech to wrest information from them. Based on the prompt on tumblr "whatif" (see chapter 1 for more). Spoilers season 1-5 ***Update: Story is on hiatus until further notice
1. Animals don't kidnap animals

**Author's note 1: This is the prompt to the story:  
**

What if… Steve and Danny are captured while in a foreign, not-so-friendly country trying to find and help Doris. Taken to a lab, they are both implanted in the back of the neck with bio-tech that is designed to attach into their brains and act like a truth serum. Before the government officials get a chance to arrive and interrogate them, Catherine breaks them out, but in order to maintain her cover she can only give them instructions on how to escape and must remain behind. While following her maps, and running from security guards and local police, they discover that the implants have an unusual side effect - they're beginning to hear each others' stray thoughts. The telepathy grows stronger the longer the implants are in and beyond that; any time they attempt to leave each others' sides they are gripped with pain and nausea. Now, while contending with getting to the border alive, they also know they have to be within six feet of each other at all times… and just how in the hell do they navigate a telepathic bond that could give away intimate, hidden feelings at any moment?

 **Author's note 2** : So, yes, H50 finally made my mind creative again. Of course I do not own anything in this story but the idea...

 **Author's note 3** : Since I'm not a native speaker, please be gentle, I know it's not perfect... I have found a beta reader now, the wonderful SailorJP, so I updated the first chapter - if there are still mistakes left, they are all mine, never hers.

And thanks for all the lovely reviews!

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The sharp pain of a slap in the face woke Steve - or made him conscious again. For a brief moment he was not sure which one it was - but when he opened his eyes he settled for the second guess. A grim face was hovering just inches away from his own then withdrew. "He's awake", a voice with a heavy Spanish accent told someone just out of Steve's view. His vision became clearer and he realized he was in a bare room with only a door and a small window opposite from where he was sitting on a wooden chair. No, from where he was _bound_ to a wooden chair. Fine. Great. Steve blinked one more time, trying to shake the foggy dizziness out of his mind. What had happened? And where was-? _Danny._ Realization hit him like a truck. Full frontal. _Danny._ He had been with him, had followed him into this mission...

 _Steve was already at the airport, ready to board the plane that would bring him closer to his destination in Nicaragua. He shifted his backpack on his shoulder while waiting for the ticket agent to check his ticket when he heard an all-too-familiar voice behind him. The voice sounded pissed, really pissed. **"** Doing that again, Steven? That Super-SEAL Ninja Stuff? Going out alone, fighting a whole country and playing Rambo? Really?" He turned around and forced a smile on his lips when he saw Danny standing there, hands in his hips and a frown on his face that made Steve feel like a five-year-old that broke the cookie jar. Steve pondered on Danny's words for a second, then shrugged. _

_"If you want to put it that way ..._ " _He knew that no matter what he said in his defense, Danny would fall into a rant that could go on for hours._

 ** _"_** _Oh yes, I want to put it that way!" Danny deliberately ignored the malignant glances of the other passengers standing in line behind Steve. "Because you always get into trouble. You always end up being taken, beaten and almost dying, and then it's me who has to save the day_ \- _and your butt._ " _He lifted a hand and cut short whatever Steve wanted to toss in. "I'm not finished here, so shut up." Steve closed his mouth and crossed his arms, not mentioning that he hadn't even gotten one word out since Danny had started. ''Just listen to me for once, okay?" Danny continued, pacing up and down now, not looking at Steve anymore, but everywhere else. "Whatever you plan to do, you shouldn't do it without backup. And by backup I don't mean to just write me a letter and leave me wondering about where and why you left and when you might be back. We've been partners for almost_ 6 _years now, Steve. Don't you trust me? Or is this one of those confidential things again: '_ No, I can't tell you because I would have to kill you?' _You're leaving me behind with nothing but crap, Steve, and I can tell you that it won't work this time, because I'm coming along." It took a moment for Steve to understand that Danny had finished_ \- _and then another for what Danny had just said. He blinked, stared down at his partner who gave him one of his all-too-serious looks._

 _"You_ \- _what?!" He finally managed to get out, only to be interrupted by the woman standing behind him in the **l** ine. _

_"He said he's coming with you, Lover Boy." Steve perked his eyebrows up and turned to face the woman. She returned his glance annoyed. "So please, Mister, could you finish your marital row now and take him with you, please? Because we all want to board the plane!"_

 _"All right. All right." Steve felt heat burn on his cheeks when he saw the other passengers nod in agreement with the woman's words. He turned back to Danny. "So you come with me. But I think you have to take the next plane, because I got the last ticket on this one._ " _Which was good, he mused. So he could make arrangements for Danny's security before the other man arrived in Nicaragua. Minimizing the danger for his best friend and partner who in fact was a great detective, but not a soldier and much less a SEAL._

 _"Nu-uh." Danny grinned at him, all sunshine again after the thunderstorm just seconds ago. "I've already checked in. You know, you're not the only person here that has contacts. My luggage is already aboard, too. Since I didn't know where we will end up, I just grabbed a few things. By the way_ \- _what is our destination?"_

A groan next to him brought Steve back to the here and now. _"_ Danny? _"_ He turned his head and was at the same time relieved and alarmed when he saw his partner bound on a matching wooden chair next to him. He seemed unharmed except for the dark bruise on his left temple. _"_ Danny, you okay?" He still had to make doubly sure, only to be slapped in the face again.

 _"_ I am the one to ask the questions here, Commander! _"_ The man behind Steve stepped forward and frowned, then sighed when he saw the determination on Steve's face. _"_ Oh, yes, I know who you and your friend are. This was relatively easy to find out. I know that where-ever you are, trouble is not far away, so I am very sorry to inform you that we do not have the time for politeness and proper introduction. Let's get down to business! I am aware that you are a Navy SEAL and therefore trained to resist any form of torture. I am also aware that your partner is not." The man moved towards Danny and dug his fingers into the blond man's hair, yanking his head up. Danny groaned again, and fear trickled down Steve's neck.

"You don't" –

"I don't what, Commander? Do not touch him? Do not get any information out of him? I see, you think we are animals? Oh, no, you are wrong." The man smirked at Steve and let go of Danny. Steve shot a quick glance to Danny, feeling relieved that the other man was conscious and obviously aware of their situation.

 **"** Not animals? That's right, because animals don't kidnap other animals, right?" Oh yes, Danny was conscious. **"** Banalities. And not really correct."

The man waved an elegant hand at Danny, silencing him. **"** We have a much more progressive way to make people answer our questions truthfully." The smile he gave Steve made alarm clocks ring in his head. **"** Yes, I see you followed me there, Commander. **"** The smile deepened. **"** Drugs are a much more effective way to find out all about your dirty little secrets. But **"** , he continued after a short break, "since it is very difficult to find the right individual dose - and we are, as I indicated before, pressed for time - we have an advanced solution for this problem. **"** His smile was now similar to a shark face to face with his prey. Steve could feel rather than see or hear how Danny tensed next to him, when the door to his right opened and a slender, tall woman entered. In her hands she held a small tube.

 **"** Alvarez", she nodded towards the man in charge. Alvarez rubbed his hands. **"** Wonderful. Thank you, Maria", he acknowledged when she handed him the tube and two small objects. "Well, who is volunteering? Who wants to be first?"

He smiled at Steve and Danny, and both men answered in unison: "Me."

 **"** Now, that's sweet." Alvarez laughed. **"** Heroically sacrificing for the life of the partner, right? Oh, you are so pathetic... Oh well. So I choose, and I take ... Mr. Williams! **"** He beamed at Danny and then looked to Steve, to take in his reaction.

Steve fought against the cuffs, but of course that fight was futile. "No - get away from him!" He observed Maria filling the tube with one of the objects and went over to Danny. The second man - the one that had slapped Steve - yanked Danny's head forward, bending it down forcefully to his chest. Danny groaned and cursed, tried to lash out to the man, but he had no chance. Steve could hear Danny pant and then groan again in pain when Maria pressed the tube onto his now exposed neck and pushed a button on top of the tube. She lifted the tube, accepting the second object from Alvarez.

When the man behind Danny let go of him, the Detective lifted his head and stared with wide opened eyes at Alvarez. "What is that? What did you inject me with? **"** His voice was full of fear and anger, and Steve could see how Danny's face lost all color.

Alvarez smiled. "Oh, as I said before, Detective, just a little help to support you in telling me the truth. **"** He nodded to Maria and the other man, and Steve felt the man's heavy hand in his short hair, pulling painfully at it when he forced his head down the same way he had done a moment ago with Danny's. There was a short, intense prick in his neck, and then he was released. Steve ground his teeth and suddenly felt tired.

"What - what else?" he slurred, barely able to lift his head. Alvarez laughed, and Steve felt a jerk at his hands.

"Just something to help you relax and sleep a little bit, so the chip in your neck can go to work. You know, it is so much easier with this kind of technology. You don't have to guess the weight and height, the stamina of a person to find the right dose of the truth serum, you only inject the little nanobot. While both of you will be asleep, the bot will assess how much of the serum your body will need and then begin to insert it. By the same time tomorrow, you will be really eager to answer any question I have. Have a good night, gentlemen!"


	2. The cat and the GPS transmitter

**Author's note:** To all of you who read chapter one (and probably reviewed) thank you very much! :)

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II – _The cat and the GPS transmitter_

"Steve."

He mumbled sleepily, turned to the other side.

"Steve."

He sighed, decided to ignore the penetrating voice.

" _Steven McGarrett,_ if you do not open your eyes at once, I will… ah, thank you very much."

Steve turned over and huffed. "You're welcome, _Daniel._ " He rubbed his throbbing temple and let his fingers slide down over his cheek and back to the neck. He winced when he touched the sensitive spot.

"Don't scratch. You can't pull it out." Danny's voice was calm, but Steve knew his partner better and was not deluded by his composed face. "I've tried and it only hurts more now. And to top it all, I'm certainly going to die of an infection." Danny stared at his bloody fingernails.

"You tried to scrape it out?"

"No. I guess I scratched it in my sleep – this thing itched like hell!" Danny cleaned his fingernails rather poorly at the seam of his pants and shrugged. "It stopped about an hour ago. I woke up and tried to wake you, too, but you were completely out of it. Probably my bot worked faster than yours since you're such a tall and coarse Neanderthal."

Steve allowed a faint smile to spread across his face when he saw Danny smirking. He sat up – slowly, to let his body and mind adapt to the new position – and looked around. They were locked in the same bare room as before that was empty except for the two wooden chairs they had been bound to earlier. He checked the various pockets of his cargo-pants, but of course everything had been taken that could have been of use as a weapon or a picklock.

"Yeah, they looted me, too." Danny nodded and picked himself up. "They even took my wallet." Not that he had a lot of money in it, and even his ID card was replaceable just like the other documents. But not the picture of three-year old Grace… He cleared his throat and stepped to the small window, taxed it and shook his head. "I won't fit through." It was unnecessary to mention that Steve would fit even less. "I'm sorry, man."

Steve frowned. "What are you sorry for? That you're not a gnome?" He pulled his knees to the chest and got up.

"Huh?" Danny turned to Steve, confused. "What – no! No, but I guess I'm the worst backup you've ever had…" He lifted his hands in defeat and ran his fingers through his hair.

"Stop blaming yourself. It's not your fault." Now it was Steve who shook the head. "Besides, I still don't know why you've assumed that I would have left Hawaii without backup." He grinned when the blonde's head snapped around and he stared at Steve in disbelief. "But… but you…?" Danny interrupted himself and blinked rapidly. "What do you mean? Are you trying to tell me that any second now some Navy guys are going to bust us out?"

"No." Steve answered and still grinned widely at Danny's curious face. "Not some guys – Catherine." He stepped to the window and tried to spot something – anything – in the darkness. "When I was a little kid we had this cat. A smart cat. Sometimes too smart, because she was a cunning runaway. One day my mother brought her to the vet and had her chipped, so we could trace her via GPS without any problems when she'd run away the next time."

Danny spread his arms expectantly, but when Steve did not continue, he huffed impatiently. "I think you hit your head harder than I thought, huh? Where's the connection between the cat and us being incarcerated here? And Catherine? She – wait a second…" He pointed with a finger at Steve and stared at him in disbelief. "You – _you_ are the cat here, right? You are the one with the GPS transmitter in the butt."

"Well, not the butt, technically speaking, but – yeah, I'm the cat." Steve still grinned. "So Catherine is able to follow each and every of my movements and she has the order to come and get us if I don't report back to her every five hours."

"Oh!" Excited, Danny clapped his hands. "This sounds like the damn best plan you've ever had so far! And when are you due to report next time?"

Again, Steve stared intensely out of the window and narrowed his eyes. "Referring to the position of the moon and minus the small shift caused by our position here on the mainland… that was approximately three hours ago."

"Three – three hours?!" Flustered, Danny began to pace up and down. "She's really taking her time. Shouldn't she be here, already?"

"Relax, buddy, she–" Steve fell silent when a muffled sound was heard from the other side of the door, as if a body dropped to the ground. He put a finger to his lips to indicate Danny to be silent, too, and sneaked to the door. He pressed tightly against the wall, when the door suddenly opened a slight gap and a hand threw an envelope inside. The hand disappeared again before Steve could grab it, but he was fast enough to put a foot into the gap before the door could close again. Steve held his breath and slid his head through the opening and quickly looked up and down the hall. It was empty expect for the slumped shape of the guy that had helped Alvarez. Steve waved to Danny without looking at the friend and hissed: "Come on! Let's get out of here!"

Danny grabbed the envelope and studied the content for a few fleeting seconds before he stuffed everything into his pockets. "Cash, a phone and a map. Catherine's an angel!" He beamed at Steve, who kneeled next to the unconscious guard and relieved him of his gun. He nodded impatiently. "I told you so. And now I have a gun. Let's go!"

Danny followed Steve who ran a straight line down the hall, weapon cocked and ready to shoot. Eventually, Danny slowed down. "Steve. Steve. _Steve!_ I don't think this is the way out!" Steve had stopped now, too, and Danny put a hand on his friend's shoulder to ensure he had Steve's full attention.

"Yeah, I know. But I want to find Alvarez first and–"

Danny stared at Steve aghast. "What?! You want to go after Alvarez with a single gun? Are you out of your mind? We should simply get out of here and try to find a way to get rid of this shit they implanted us! And then – only then – we can come back to find Doris!"

Steve gritted his teeth. "Danny, I can't just leave with empty hands, don't you see that? If Doris is still here, in this house somewhere, in Alvarez' clutches, then… Damn it, she still is my mother!" He grabbed the weapon tight and set his jaw. "I'll help you get to the exit and Catherine will pick you up at the venue. I'm sure it is marked on the map, so you just have to–"

"Pardon me?!" Danny kept his eyes glued on Steve. "Are you for real? Huh? Have you lost it completely? You're doing it again… I'm with you till the end, understood? You didn't leave me alone with Marco Reyes, so why do you think I would leave you now?" He reached out and grabbed Steve's chin, forcing his head around until he had to look at Danny. "You're as stubborn as a mule sometimes, Steve, but I can beat you at that game! We…"

The subdued ringing of the mobile phone in Danny's pocket made both men jump. It took Danny some long seconds until he had fumbled it out and answered the call. "Yes?" The wrinkles on his forehead disappeared at once when he recognized Catherine's voice. "Huh? Yes. Yes, he's with me. No, everything's fine, we are fine. We'll probably turn into Borg or something similar before sunrise, but otherwise… what? Oh, yes. That's… oh… yes, wait. Can you please repeat that? No, not yet – wait. Now." He passed the phone to Steve and nodded vigorously. "Important information."

Steve stared vacantly at Danny while he listened to Catherine's voice.

" _Steve, get out of there immediately. It was a trap! Doris has never been to Nicaragua. She controlled everything from Puerto Rico but disappeared from that country, too. My source has lost her trace, but he guesses that she's already back in Asia."_

"But..."

" _No_ but _, Steve. Get out! Alvarez won't let you leave alive, even if he doesn't seem very threatening at the moment. Please, Steve! I will be at the venue in two days and pick you up. Please, Steve… don't chase shadows…"_

Catherine ended the call before Steve could say another word. He still stared at Danny. "Doris isn't here…" he finally muttered and rubbed his temple. Danny reached for Steve's shoulder. "You heard Catherine. You do believe her, right?" When Steve slowly nodded, he patted his arm. "Come on, let's go. I've really had my fill of Alvarez' hospitality. And I want to head back to Hawaii as fast as possible to get that thing cut out and examined by Max." He lifted his eyebrows affirmatively.

"Okay. Good. Okay." Steve squared his shoulders to literally push past the shock of Catherine's words. He set himself in motion again.


	3. For your information

**A/N:** Actually, I'm not really sure how to explain this. But I want to be honest with you. I made the mistake (again) and started posting a story that isn't finished yet. But this is only a small part of the problem. The bigger part is that the story is originally written in another language and translating the story is proving to be too difficult for me at the moment (and it wouldn't be fair to SailorPJ to try and bring some sense into it, although she is doing a great job!). The "voice", the rhyme and the rhythm of the two languages are too different from each other to be simply translated. I probably will re-write this story in English from the start, but stop merely translating it.

So I put this story on hiatus until further notice. I am sorry, but I didn't want to skip out on you. Other stories are in progress (in English from the start), but will be posted only after I've finished them.


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